MODFLOW-NWT, MODPATH, and MT3DMS models used to study of hypothetical horizontal water-supply well design for New Hampshire and surrounding regions: U.S. Geological Survey data release
Description
A series of three-dimensional, hypothetical, groundwater models (MODFLOW-NWT) were developed to
investigate the effects of a variety of factors on the flow of arsenic-containing water into a well. The well
is of novel design with a constructed aquifer providing storage. The models simulate a hillslope with till
overlying a fractured bedrock aquifer as is common in New England. Backwards particle tracking using
MODPATH was used to track the particles from the constructed aquifer to the recharge location. A new
program, EndPoint Analyzer, was used to determine the fraction of the flow that passed through the
bedrock. The bedrock is assumed to be the source of arsenic contamination so the fraction of the flow
passing through bedrock could be used to assess the potential for arsenic contamination. MT3DMS
simulations were used for comparison purposes. This USGS data release contains all of the input and
output files for the simulations described in the associated model journal article (Winston and Ayotte, 2017).
This data release also includes (1) MODFLOW-NWT (v 1.1.2) source code, (2) MODPATH version (v. 6.0)
source code, (3) MT3DMS (v 5.3) source code, and (4) Endpoint Analyzer source code.